Entries in little lit book series
(27)

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’re sharing books about love and friendship for this month’s #littlelitbookseries.

Brimsby's Hats, by Andrew Prahin, is a sweet wintry tale about friendship. Brimbsy, a hat maker, has a great best friend who moves far away one day to pursue his dream of becoming a sea captain. Eventually feeling alone and lonely, Brimsby attempts to befriend some nearby birds who seem to be too preoccupied to strike up a new friendship. Then, with one thoughtful and resourceful gesture, he helps them solve a major problem and makes friends for life. I love how this story teaches children about creativity, compassion and friendship. This is Andrew Prahin’s first children’s book.

The Smallest Girl in The Smallest Grade by Justin Roberts and Christian Robinson is such a gem. You probably wouldn’t notice Sally McCabe since she’s the smallest girl in the smallest grade. But ever-observant, she notices you, everyone and everything. She sees kids being pushed, teased and insulted at school. One day, she puts her foot down and demonstrates a monumental act of kindness and courage that changes everything. Sally teaches us that looking out for someone’s well-being is an important part of being a good friend even if it means taking a risk and putting yourself out there. That’s what today’s kids need to learn. Because how else will they leave their mark and make this a kinder society? Maybe we should look to the Sally McCabes of the world to show us how.

"It had to start somewhere. While Coco slept far away, the sun crept up slowly behind a hill, paused for a moment and seemed to think twice...before it plunged down the other side and skidded giddily across the water." Follow the sun's glorious trek to Coco's house and catch a glimpse of the lives and paths it intersects along the way. Beautiful, lilting prose from Australian author/illustrator Bob Graham and an ingenious and engaging way to depict a quotidian event. One of my favorites from 2015.

Float is most definitively one of the best children's books published in 2015. Daniel Miyares' wordless picture book shows how much emotion and storyline can be encapsulated and expressed through visual elements alone. You can see and feel the boy's thoughts and intentions almost as well as the texture of all that glorious water and rain. Bravo @danielmiyaresdoodles! We are fans of your work for life.

Our Instagram #littlelitbookseries theme is winter in honor of this cold (yet warm in sentiments) season of the year. Take a look at everyone else’s wintry picks in the #littlelitbookseries today. Here are mine:

The Snowman is one of the best wordless storybooks we have today. Drawn by Raymond Briggs, the illustrations have a certain magic about them. It’s a classic heartfelt tale about a boy who, unable to sleep, goes out one night and finds that the snowman in his front yard has come to life. After introducing the snowman to the wonders of the human world (like the TV and stove at his house), the boy and his new friend go on an unforgettable adventure, flying through the midnight sky. This is definitely one to add to your wintry trove of books.

The Jolly Christmas Postman is a gem by Janet and Allen Ahlberg and is a spinoff of the original Jolly Postman. This time, the Jolly Postman makes his rounds in fairy tale land with Christmas cards and surprises, like a jolly board game for Red Riding Hood (that you can actually play!) and a delicious "book in a book" for the Gingerbread Boy. This is definitely one of the must fun and interactive books in our holiday collection and a favorite to read at this time of year!

November's theme for #littlelitbookseries is food. Lemonade in Winter, written by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by G. Brian Karas, is about a pair of entrepreneurial siblings who decide to set up a lemonade stand on a cold wintry day. Do they learn about math and counting money? Yes. Do they learn a little about ingenuity and perseverance? Yes. Do they sell any lemonade? Read this delightfully frigid tale to find out. 😉

Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola is one of my all-time favorite wordless picture books. Its subtle humor draws you in and invites you to narrate the story of a hapless (but not hopeless) woman in her plight for a plate of warm, toothsome pancakes. The story is also a nod to an older, agrarian way of life, making it a wonderful teaching experience for its audience. And if reading it doesn't make you crave a tall pile of crispy-edged pancakes doused in maple syrup, I don't know what will! 🍁

Also, as a side note, wordless story books are invaluable tools. Telling and retelling a story multiple times with a wordless story book helps children learn a variety of vocabulary words, synonyms and sentence structures. It helps teach children the elements of a story--characters, setting, problem, resolution, etc. When you revisit stories and retell them, you talk about different little aspects of a story that you didn't talk about the last time you read it because you might pick up on other details in the pictures or nuances in the story. When different people tell a child the story, the child hears and is exposed to different narratives, points of view and different sets of vocabulary. Happy storytelling!

Check out our collection of delicious food books in this month's installment of #littlelitbookseries on Instagram.